This Mama Cooks! On a Diet

More quinoa: Weight Watchers Quinoa Salad

2009-12-24T08:24:00-07:00

Chef Richard Ruben of the Institute of Culinary Education and author of The Farmer's Market Cookbook: More Than 100 Recipes Using the Freshest Ingredients developed and this recipe specifically for Weight Watchers as a way to incorporate gourmet food into a healthy lifestyle.

Weight Watchers Quinoa Salad
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
2 celery stalks - minced
1 cucumber – peeled, seeds removed and minced
6 to 8 radishes - chopped
5 scallions – roots trimmed and minced
2 oranges peeled and cut into segments
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts - toasted
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Over a medium flame heat a one-quart saucepan, and add the quinoa.
Toast the quinoa for a few minutes and then pour over 1-1/2 cups water.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and lower the heat to a medium low. Cook the quinoa for 15 minutes.
Shut off the heat and allow the quinoa sit for 10 minutes.
In a clean bowl toss all the ingredients together to thoroughly combine.
Correct seasoning and serve.

Nutritional information from Calorie Count per serving

Calories 225
Calories from Fat 93
Total Fat 10.3g
Saturated Fat 1.1g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 11mg
Total Carbohydrates 29.3g
Dietary Fiber 4.5g
Sugars 7.3g
Protein 6.1g
Vitamin A 10% RDA
Vitamin C 64% RDA
Calcium 6% RDA
Iron 12%

Nutrition Grade A-

Weight Watchers POINTS = 5 (to lower to 3 POINTS eliminate the pine nuts)

Quinoa Meatloaf with Sundried Tomatoes

2009-12-22T09:10:00-07:00

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds and is considered a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal. Nutritionally, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids and is a good source of protein. It's also a good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest, too.

This all makes it a terrific food to add to your every day cooking, which is why I bought the nearly 4 pound bag of Bob's Red Mill Organic Grain Quinoa at Costco. I figured I’d come across a quinoa recipe I would want to make like this one in the Denver Post for Quinoa Turkey Meatloaf.

The recipe comes from Nirmala's Edible Diary: A Hungry Traveler's Cookbook with Recipes from 14 Countries and has more of a Mexican flare since it featured jalapenos and ground cumin. Instead, wanting to use the jar of Mezzetta Sun Ripened Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil, I decided to remake it with an Italian flare.

Quinoa Meatloaf with Sundried Tomatoes
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

For the quinoa

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water

For the meatloaf

2 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 8-ounce jar of Mezzetta Sun Ripened Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil (Tomatoes drained and chopped into small pieces. Rinse to remove extra oil.)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 pound ground venison (Feel free to use any kind of ground lean meat like beef or turkey.)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 clove of garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup of egg white substitute
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

To cook quinoa:

Place dried quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve. Rinse and drain well.
In a medium saucepan, combine the drained quinoa and water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until all of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

To make meatloaf:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease a glass loaf pan with a cooking spray.
In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano and basil and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly.
Transfer to the prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour, turn oven off, and let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes more.
Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Nutrition information from Calorie Count, amount Per Serving

Calories 372
Total Fat 13.9g
Saturated Fat 4.1g
Cholesterol 74mg
Sodium 400mg
Total Carbohydrates 33.1g
Dietary Fiber 4.5g
Sugars 2.8g
Protein 28.3g
Vitamin A 10% RDA
Vitamin C 14% RDA
Calcium 6% RDA
Iron 30% RDA

Nutrition Grade A

Weight Watchers POINTS = 8 (reduce portion size to lower POINTS)

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Disclosure: Mezzetta provided me with a jar of Sun Ripened Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil to sample.

Holiday gifts - Wii games for people who love to cook

2009-12-18T08:37:00-07:00

Foodies can always use another cookbook or food magazine subscription, of course. But did you know there are now Wii games for people who like to cook?

Check out my reviews of Cooking Mama, Cook or Be Cooked, and other Wii games for foodies at my post Wii games for people who love to cook at my review blog, This Mama Cooks! Reviews.

Holiday gifts - kitchen gadgets for foodies and cooks

2009-12-16T08:24:00-07:00

It’s that time of year when you may be wondering what to get that foodie in your life especially if she or he seems to have every gadget out there. Here are a few of my personal favorites:

Onion goggles – my new favorite kitchen gadget. Onion Goggles protects your eyes from irritating onion vapors - the soft foam seal keeps out onion vapors. I’ve used them several times and they really work, plus they’re kind of cool ‘80s New Age Devo looking.

Fusionbrands Poach Pods - I picked up a set of these at a cooking store in San Diego. The poachpod allows you to float and poach an egg in boiling water. When the egg is ready, flip the non-stick pod inside out and gently push the egg out. The only problem I found is that they cook from the bottom up. By the time the top of the egg is cooked through, so is the yolk. Since I like my poached eggs runny, I put a lid on the pan to steam the eggs from the top as they cook from the bottom. These sell for around $9.99 or $8.59 from Amazon.

Olio Nuovo Extra Virgin Olive Oil – OK, this isn’t a gadget, but it’s certainly part of your “cooking toolbox.” I had a chance to sample this at FoodBuzz’s Blogger Festival and was given a bottle take a bottle home with me. Its taste reminds me of fresh, warm tomatoes just taken out of the garden. It’s a perfect finishing oil for risotto or to use to make salad dressings. Olio Nuovo Extra Virgin Olive Oil is only available once a year during harvest season and sells for $15.97. You can order it from the California Olive Ranch website.

The Demy Kitchen Safe Touchscreen Recipe Reader is a kitchen-safe digital reader that stores your personal recipes in a compact, electronic device consider it a Foodie Kindle. The Demy is powered by keyingredient.com, a website for you to find, create, share and collect your recipes. I have a couple of recipes myself there – Black and Orange Cookies and Red Pepper and Mango Ceviche. You can order one on Amazon or through the Demy store – both places sell it for $299.95.

Attractive magazine files – I hate the gray and faux wood magazine files found at most office supplies stores. I also don’t want to spend a fortune on wood or plastic ones to store my cooking magazines. Instead, here are a few of the better looking cardboard ones:

Mag File magazine file from Target
Lingo Magazine File (red) and Lingo Magazine File (black) from Ikea

A Nature Mill indoor electric composter – Santa brought me one last year and I love that I’m able to recycle my table scraps and vegetable peelings in it. I own the original model, which had some problems. I was able to call customer service and get a replacement part later that week. It’s still a bit temperamental and occasionally gets stinky, so I suggest that you get one of the newer models like the Plus XE at $299 or the PLUS PRO XE at $399.

My husband swears that using the compost from this little machine is the reason he had such an abundant garden crop this year. You can buy it through the Nature Mill website, Amazon, and sometimes at Home Depot, Target and Costco. You can also search for your local Nature Mill dealer.

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Disclosure: All links to Amazon.com are affiliate links. A commission may be earned from a referred sale to their website

Stephanie Izard's Holiday Side Dish: roasted cauliflower

2009-12-14T09:39:00-07:00

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Stephanie Izard a few times like at the Common Threads cooking event. She always impresses me in that her recipes are healthy, easy to make and delicious

Pay attention to how Stephanie cuts the cauliflower so it cooks evenly.

Top Chef's Stephanie Izard's Roasted Cauliflower - The funniest bloopers are right here

Roasted Cauliflower
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Cut the head of cauliflower in half and cut out most of the stem. Slice the florets into ¼ inch slices.
Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the cauliflower and toss to coat with the butter and oil. Sauté until the cauliflower releases much of its liquid and begins to brown, 5 to 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to sauté for an additional 10 minutes, tossing often.
Cook the florets until they are just tender. Add the salt and pepper and adjust seasoning to taste before serving.

Nutritional Information per serving:

Calories 69
Calories from Fat 59
Total Fat 6.6g
Saturated Fat 3.8g
Sodium 442mg
Total Carbohydrates 2.5g
Fiber 1.2g
Sugars 1.1g
Protein 0.9g
Vitamin A 4%
Vitamin C 34%

Weight Watchers POINTS = 2

What's up at This Mama Cooks! Reviews?

2009-12-14T08:05:00-07:00

Here’s the latest from TMC Reviews:

News & Reviews

Giveaways

How do you like to cook your eggs? Win an Eggland's Best prize pack!
Win $50 in the National Pork Board's Holiday Recipe Contest (at Mom Central Food)

You can also find me at Mom Central Food:

How do you like your eggs? Skinny Eggnog cocktail

2009-12-13T09:01:00-07:00

It’s the time of year to where eggnog tempts us. Even the low fat version is full of fat, sugar and fillers. Is there a way to make a healthier version of eggnog? Possibly with this recipe from Bethenny Frankel.

You probably know her from The Real Housewives of New York City. She’s also a natural-foods chef, the owner of the baked-goods company bethennybakes and author of Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting. Bethenny also contributes to Health.com, which is where I found this intriguing holiday cocktail recipe.

Skinny Eggnog
By Bethenny Frankel
From Health magazine

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar
2 cups 1% low fat milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 dash cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
1/4 cup white rum
4 pasteurized egg whites

Directions:

Beat egg yolks until lightened in color.
Add cup 1/3 cup of sugar, beating until dissolved; set aside.
Combine milk, vanilla, and 1 dash each cinnamon and nutmeg in a saucepan over high heat; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat, and gradually whisk into egg mixture.
Return to pot, and cook to 160° F.
Remove from heat, stir in 1/4 cup white rum, and pour into a bowl; set in the refrigerator.
Beat 4 pasteurized egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form; with mixer running, gradually add 1 tablespoon sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form.
Whisk egg whites into chilled mixture; sprinkle with cinnamon.

Nutritional information:

148 calories
Calories from fat 21
Total Fat 2.4g
Saturated Fat 1.1g
Sodium 75mg
Total Carbohydrates 17.8g
Sugars 17.7g
Protein 6.0g

Weight Watchers POINTS = 3

To make it even skinnier:

Remove the rum (you can use rum extract for the taste) – now each drink is 123 calories.
Remove the sugar and substitute with stevia – now 87 calories
Remove the sugar, add a substitute and forego the rum – 65 calories

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All links to Amazon.com are affiliate links. A commission may be earned from a referred sale to their website.

How do you like your eggs? Sunshine Toast

2009-12-11T09:07:00-07:00

My husband makes fabulous omelets, so I don’t bother even trying. Instead, for a special treat for the kids I make Sunshine Toast. It’s basically poached eggs that are baked inside the toast in the oven.

How do you like eggs? Let me know at my How do you like to cook your eggs? Win an Eggland’s Best Prize Pack giveaway.

Sunshine toast
1 serving

Ingredients:

1 slice of bread
Melted butter
1 medium egg
non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
If you are using aluminum foil on your cookie sheet, spray the surface with a non-stick cooking spray or grease well with butter. If you are using a silicone baking mat there is no need to grease the surface.
Use your microwave to melt some butter. Make sure to use a microwave safe bowl.
Brush the melted butter on one side of the bread with a pastry brush. Then take the cookie cutter and press it hard into the middle of the slice of bread. Wiggle it back and forth slightly while pressing to make sure you’re cutting through the bread.
Carefully lift out the shape you have cut out. Lay both pieces of bread on the tray with the butter side up.
Break the egg into a saucer and remove any pieces of shell. Carefully slide the egg into the hole you have cut.
Bake for seven minutes on the top rack of the oven, or for a little longer (about 10 minutes) if you don’t like a runny yolk.
Lift the pieces of bread carefully off the tray. Season with salt and pepper. Eat it while it’s still warm. Use the cut out shapes to dip in the egg yolk.

Tips:

If you like cheese with your egg, sprinkle grated cheese on your egg before placing in the oven.
If you’re watching your calorie or fat intake, substitute 3 egg yolks for 1 whole egg.
If you’re watching your fat intake, use a low calorie cooking spay on the toast instead of butter.

Weight Watchers POINTS

whole egg = 3 POINTS
3 egg whites = 1 POINT
bread = 1-3 POINTS depending on what type of bread you use

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Disclosure: Eggland’s Best sent me some sample coupons to try out their eggs.

Happy Hanukkah! Healthy Butternut Squash and Sage Latkes

2009-12-10T09:14:10-07:00

Hanukkah starts this year on Friday, December 11. I’m half Jewish and love to share my father’s traditions with my own children as he did with me and my sister. One way we both do that is through food.

Since traditional potato pancakes are greasy and full of fat, I’m always on the lookout for healthier latke recipes. This year I’ll be making butternut squash latkes from a recipe I found in the Denver Post.

Butternut squash is full of Vitamins A and C, potassium and fiber and low in calories, about 65 a cup. During preparation, whether you grate your onions and squash with a box grater or a food processor, make sure to squeeze out as much of the juice as possible. You can do this by taking the grated vegetables and placing them in a dish towel or paper towel to blot away the moisture.

Butternut Squash and Sage Latkes
Makes 12 latkes

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, shredded ( 3/4 cup)
3 cups shredded butternut squash (1 small squash)
1/4 cup matzo meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 large egg, lightly beaten
6 teaspoons olive oil, divided

Directions:

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. (I like using Spectrum’s Grapeseed Spray Oil since PAM tends to leave yellow “gunk” on my baking pans.)
Add the squash, matzo meal, salt, pepper and sage, then toss to coat.
Add the egg and 2 teaspoons of the oil. Toss to coat.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium high, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil.
Working in batches, use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop the squash mixture into the skillet, leaving several inches between each mound. Use a spatula to flatten them into roughly 3-inch pancakes.
Cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the latkes to the prepared baking sheet.
Bake until the latkes are crispy and hot, about 10 minutes.

Per serving: 109 calories; 67 calories from fat; 7 g fat, 1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats; 15 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrate; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 249 mg sodium.

Weight Watchers POINTS = 3 per latke

Tips:

To lower the fat, substitute 3 eggs whites for the whole egg.
Non-sweetened apple sauce is always a healthy topping for potato pancakes. Try different types of fruit sauces like those made by Santa Cruz – apple-raspberry, apple-cherry and apple-blackberry would be delicious.
If you like sour cream on your latkes, try plain, non-fat Greek yogurt instead. It tastes the same and is lower in calories and fat and higher in protein.

More healthy latke recipes

Sweet Potato Latkes – by Steven Raichlen who wrote Healthy Jewish Cooking, but is more known for his The Barbecue! Bible or How to Grill cookbooks
Corn Latkes – also by Steven, this is close to the corn pancakes my husband makes for special breakfasts
Dr. Weil’s Potato Pancakes – heck, if Dr. Weil says it’s healthy, it better be!
Zucchini and Potato Pancakes – a recipe to consider when you have too much zucchini from your summer garden

How do you like your eggs?

2009-12-09T08:05:00-07:00

I’ve done a lot of egg entrees here at This Mama Cooks, like:

Still, I like my eggs cooked as plain as possible and usually scramble or poach them. I recently purchased a pair of Fusionbrands Poach Pods, which makes poaching eggs incredibly easy. (See my post How to poach an egg for other ways to make poached eggs.) These days I serve them up with toast for dipping into the egg yoke and broiled tomatoes.

How do you like to cook your eggs? Let me know at my How do you like to cook your eggs? Win an Eggland’s Best Prize Pack giveaway.

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Disclosure: Eggland’s Best sent me some sample coupons to try out their eggs.

Healthy holiday cookies: Peppermint Meringue Crisps

2009-12-08T12:27:36-07:00

I’ve loved meringue cookies since I was a kid. But now that I’m trying to watch my calories, I like them even more. Here’s a holiday treat created by Laurel Hudson, the culinary instructor at Wellspring Academies that will let you indulge without packing on the pounds. Even better, these are perfect for those who are avoiding gluten in their diets.

Peppermint Meringue Crisps
Yield: 18 cookies

Ingredients:

Juice of 1 lemon
2 egg whites
Pinch salt
¼ tsp cream of tartar
½ cup Splenda, granular
1 sugar free candy cane
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 F.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with Pam.
Combine the egg whites, lemon juice, cream of tartar, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites into a meringue, until the whites are thick and stand up in peaks.
Add the Splenda and vanilla and whip for 30 seconds.
Drop by the spoonful onto pan, making 12 cookies.
Crush the candy cane into small bits.
Sprinkle the candy cane on top of the cookies.
Bake 1 ½ hours, then turn the oven off and let the cookies sit in the oven while it is left partially open until the oven is cool.
Remove the cookies from the tray and enjoy!

Nutritional Information: approx. 12 calories and 0g fat per cookie

Weight Watchers POINTS = 1 POINT for 5 cookies

Grilled Wahoo and Orange Butter

2009-12-04T13:54:23-07:00

I thought we had eaten our way through the fish my husband brought back from Mexico. Then I found a nice big package of wahoo in the corner of the freezer. I decided that grilling was the best way to prepare it, but how to make a delicious fish even more special?

I didn’t want to make a sauce and we didn’t have any veggies to make a salsa. How about a flavored butter using the Challenge Dairy European Style Butter I was trying out?

I got out my trusty Joy of Cooking cookbook and decided to make an orange butter with a few twists.

Chipotle Orange Butter
For fish and vegetables

In a small bowl, cream with a fork or wooden spoon 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened. Gradually add in the flavorings:

finely grated zest from 2 Cuties® California Clementines (or one large orange if you don’t have any Cuties around)
1 tablespoon of the juice from the Clementine or orange.
to taste or 2 large pinches of Spice Islands Ground Chipotle Chile spice (You can substitute ground red pepper or chile powder.)
the leaves off of 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (or one large pinch of dried thyme)
salt and ground white pepper to taste

Refrigerate in a small bowl or ramekin until you’re ready to use it.

To prepare fish (you can use this on wahoo, tilapia, mahi mahi or any other white fish), gently smear 1 tablespoon of orange butter on the cooked fish, let it melt and serve. To hasten the process, put the fish in a warm oven and remove once butter is melted.

Nutritional Facts for a serving size of 1 Tbsp (14g):
Calories per serving: 110, Calories from Fat: 110, Total Fat 12g, Saturated Fat 8g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 0mg, Total Carbohydrate: 0g, Protein: 0g, Vitamin A: 8%.

Weight Watchers POINTS = 3 POINTS for butter

If you had a 6 ounce piece of wahoo (or another white fish like tilapia or mahi mahi) that would be 4 POINTS. You may decide to go with half a tablespoon of the Chipotle Orange butter instead. This should be enough to add flavor to your grilled fish.

Challenge Butter

Challenge Dairy European Style Butter has 83% butterfat versus 80% for regular butters. Many people prefer cooking with European style butters because it has a creamier taste and cooks up better than regular butter. I have friends who are love to bake and swear by it.

Challenge Dairy is holding a Taste of the West sweepstakes where you can win a 7-day/6-night trip for 4 people to the Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in Montana’s Paradise Valley, just north of Yellowstone National Park. (Beautiful country up there!) The ranch features fine dining, cozy accommodations, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, rock climbing, clay shooting and much more. Airfare, food, accommodations and activities are included in this $17,000 luxury getaway. They will also be giving away a $850 kitchen package from Spice Islands and OXO to one other winner.

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Disclosure: Challenge Dairy sent me some sample coupons to try their products and some Spice Island spices to inspire me.

All links to Amazon.com are affiliate links. A commission may be earned from a referred sale to their website.

All other ingredients were bought/harvested by myself or my family.